Brendan Rodgers has earmarked West Ham United's Diafra Sakho as a potential January striker target

West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho is a January target for Liverpool manager Brendan RodgersGetty Images/Jamie McDonald

Liverpool are reportedly looking to offload Mario Balotelli during the January transfer window and are tracking West Ham United's Diafra Sakho.

According to the Daily Mail, Brendan Rodgers realises that he needs to invest in a new striker during the transfer window following the failure of summer signing Balotelli.

But he is also aware that it will be difficult to find a buyer for a striker who has been a disaster since joining the Merseyside club from AC Milan and is yet to score a goal for the Reds in the Premier League.

The Northern Irishman is prepared to live with the Italian striker till the summer transfer window, hoping he repays some of the faith shown to him during the early part of the season, but is still keeping a close eye on potential replacements.

Sakho joined the Hammers this summer from Metz, and has put in some impressive performances for the east London club. His seven goals in nine league appearances have played a key part in West Ham's phenomenal start to the season, and they are currently in fourth place ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.

However, Sam Allardyce will be reluctant to sell such a key player in the middle of a campaign that promises a lot for the future of the club.

Another area which the Reds manager is keen to strengthen is the goalkeeping department. Current number one Simon Mignolet has lost the form he displayed last season and has been at fault for many of the goals conceded this season.

The problem facing the manager is that he does not have an able backup keeper, making Mignolet confident that he will not lose his place in the team despite his poor showing in recent games.

However, the former Swansea boss is keen to fix that problem and has had Germany's U21 goalkeeper Timo Horn watched, with a view to a move in the future.